Materializing Sheffield: Place, Culture, Identity, Sheffield: Place, Culture, Identity

The aim of Materializing Sheffield is to explore Sheffield's identity in relation to its material culture and physical presence. How has the cityscape been formed and what bearing does it have upon the ways in which the city is seen and experienced by those who live there or those who visit? Which of the city's histories have been crystallised into material form - as buildings, museum objects, art works, or personal possessions - and which have not? Materializing Sheffield explores the interrelationship between materiality and memory by looking at the ways in which histories and identities are variously remembered and forgotten, and the extent to which they can be retrieved through exploration of material remains. It also addresses the ways in which Sheffield's material culture and cityscape are variously perceived and experienced by different social groups, and how this in turn may affect their identities and senses of belonging. Importantly, Materializing Sheffield also looks at how the city's material culture might be re-presented and re-shaped in the future.In collectively creating Materializing Sheffield the contributors here have a double aim. On the one hand, we bring together a rich range of articles about Sheffield and, to some extent, neighbouring areas. By doing so, we seek to show new angles on the city and its past; and to illustrate how looking at Sheffield via its material culture can throw light on understanding the relationship between place, culture and identity in the city. This collection of e-articles will, we hope, be of interest not only to those who already know the city, but also those coming to it for the first time. Perhaps it might even act as a kind of alternative guide-book to the city - showing interesting places to visit, providing historical depth to the cityscape and introducing different Sheffields and ways of seeing them.